Rotary engine.



Patented on; 10, I899.

w. F. JAMES. ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application and In. 30,) 1899.)

2 Sheets-Shoat l,

(Ila Model.)

Ho. 634,755. v Patented Oct. I0, 1899.

w F: JAMES. ROTARY ENGINE.

(Appliution fllnd June 30, 1899.) I (No Model.) v 2 Shah-Shoat 2.

rm: scams VETZRS 00.. mum-ulna. WASHINGTON, m c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

\VILLIAM FRANCIS JAMES, OF QUINTANA, TEXAS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,755, dated October 1 0, 1899.

Application filed June 30, 1899. Serial No. 722,399. (No model.)

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRANCIS JAMES, of Quintana, in the county of Brazoria and State of Texas, have inven ted'a new and Improved Rotary Engine, of'which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in rotary engines and comprises the novel fea- [o tures hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

I 5 Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of my engine. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional elevation showing the valves in a diiierent position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional'elevation on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, and Fig. -:L is a detail section taken through the abutment.

My engine is of that class of rotary engines having a cylindrical casing which has a ch amher acting as the cylinder or steam-space and a disk mounted upon a shaft and rotating within said cylinder, the disk having a projecting piston thereon filling the steamspace and the casing having a movable abutment which drops down behind the piston and closes the steam-space of the cylinder. The

casing is composed of the peripheral ring B and the two heads A A, the peripheral ring B having recesses formed therein, one of which is adapted to receive the abutment and the other of which acts as an exhaust- 5 chamber.

A disk 0 is mounted upon a shaft 0 which is journaled in suitable hearings in the headplates A A. The periphery of the disk 0 is provided with a groove which receives the 0 abutment E, the edges of the flanges forming the sides of this groove being caused to form it steam-tight joint with the ring B by means i of packingrings 0. The piston is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and consists of a block 5 D, which is secured'to the outer surface of the disk 0, so as to partly close the steamspace, the block extending entirely across the steam-space longitudinally of the shaft, but

stopping short of the outer edge of said steamspace. The piston is completed by means of the inclined plate D, which has one end resting on top of the block D and seen red thereto by screws or other suitable means and its other end, which tapers to an edge, resting upon the periphery of the disk 0. By reaso11 55 of this construction the depth ofv the piston in a radial direction may be regulated by placing packing-plates between the two parts D and D. The abutment E is pivoted at c to the outer casing and swings upward to permit the piston to pass and then drops downward until it is in contact with the outer periphery of the disk 0. This abutment has an extension E, which projects from the outer or swinging end, so as to engage the wall of the recess containing; the same, and thus to prevent the abutment from swinging toward the disk more than a certain distance. By this means the pressure of the abutment may be relieved from the disk and the con tactsurface of the abutment be held close against the disk without causing appreciable pressure thereon. 4

The abutment has a steam-portfextending through the same and opening at the outer or swinging end of the abutment in such a position as to just clear the inner surface of the ring B when the abutment is in its innermost position or in the position shown in Fig. 1. 8o Steam isadmited. to the recess which con tains the abutment by means of the ports I, which extend through the plate covering said recess, and the steam-pressure thus acts to force the abutment inward. The side edges of the abutment are made steam-tight by having grooves formed therein, said grooves being of an L shape, as clearly shown in Fig.

2, and having packing-strips e and e placed within said grooves and engaging the sides 0 of the recess. These packing-strips may be held outward against the side surfaces of the recess by admitting steam to their under surfaces through a small hole f, which communicates with the steam-port), as clearly shown 9 5 in Fig. 4. The jar which would otherwise occur when the abutment seats itself upon the piston-disk isobviated by means of a dashpot, which consists of a cylinder F, secured to the under surface of the abutment- I00 and which enters a hole F, formed in the casin The cylinder is of such size as to which connects said grooves.

closely fit the hole F, and when it enters the same compresses the air or steam, so asto gradually and easily check the downward movement of the abutment. It is obvious that the relative position of the cylinder and I the hole forming said dash-pot may be reversed without changingits character. I

The steam is discharged from the cylinder 7 through the exhaust-chamber J,which is pref erably made of considerable size and extends below the opening into the cylinder, so that any water which may be in the cylinder will be blown outward into the exhaust-chamber and then cannot return to the cylinder, but maybe'dischargedth'rough a drip-cock J The exhaust-chamber is covered with a plate which has a bell-shaped projection .T, to which is secured the exhaust-pipe K,

A cut-off valve is provided by means of which the steam may be worked expansively inder and the abutment-recess, are located so as to register withthe grooves 9, while the steam-supply pipe I is centrally located,

so that it will connect only with the recess g in the valve.

The valve has a stem H extending outside the casingand' having a gear-wheel h mounted thereon and meshing with a gear-wheel h, which is secured to the engine-shaft 0 These two wheels are of the same diameter,

so that the valve hasrthe same number of turns as the engine.

If the engine were provided 'with'two or more pistons, the relative rotation of the valve would beincreased to correspond, the speed of rotation of the valve being controlled by the relative diameter of the wheels h and h. I have herein'shown'my:engine as having two cylinders which are located side by side, the

disks Obeing secured to the same shaft, and

the valves of both cylinders being secured,

upon the same valve-shaft H. The chief ob- ;jectin'having the two cylinders is to place the pistons thereof opposite-each other,so that there will be no dead-center for the engine; but it will be in position for starting wherever it may stop. As many pistons may be secured to the same shaft as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention,

. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder-casing having a recess located outside the cylinder-chamber and communicating with said chamber and the steam-supply, an abutment hinged in said chamber, and closing the same against the passage of steam, the abutment having a port extending through it and terminating at itsoute r or radial face and closed I when'the abutment is swung outward, and a lug or extension at the upper end of the abut- 'ment, seating upon the casing and limiting the inward swing of the abutment, the abutment and casing having a registering plunger and a receiving-recess, forming a dash-pot to check its seating action, substantially as described.

VILLIAM FRANCIS JAMES.

WVitnesses:

R. H. ScHERDIN, O. HOOKER. 

